Hydrogen faces investment hurdles
Hydrogen project risks challenge investors
Flow of money into emerging industry faces bottlenecks as investors grapple with uncertainty over regulation and bankability
Concerns over bankability, regulation and project deployment risks are holding back some investors from the hydrogen sector despite its long-term growth potential as a key plank of the energy transition, according to participants in a Transition Economist roundtable on alternative fuels, held in association with PwC. Corporate and institutional investors are treading carefully as they weigh up risks relating to evolving regulation, the need for bankable long-term offtake deals and the possibility that hydrogen production assets could become stranded because of a lack of midstream distribution infrastructure. “Is there a role for government to play the offtaker of last resort?” Anderson
Also in this section
2 April 2026
Alongside a rapid continued build-out of renewables, China’s latest five-year plan stresses the value of domestic hydrocarbon production for energy security and calls for increased Russian gas imports
2 April 2026
The government is taking important steps to revive domestic production, lift investment and benefit from the geopolitical crisis even if more needs to be done in the longer term
1 April 2026
Golden Pass’s startup offers QatarEnergy a timely boost but may also force a difficult choice between honouring disrupted contracts and capitalising on soaring spot LNG prices
1 April 2026
It is not a case of if or when, but the length and magnitude of economic damage from elevated oil prices
